Sometimes I get messages asking me what my writing process is like and I never have a clear answer. I don't have a concise process. Each book is different and takes me on a different journey creatively. I never know which road I will take. Will I outline precisely or wing it?
I can say most of my books come from a mixture of both. I go in with an idea of where I want the storyline to go, but most of the time, my characters throw me a curve ball, and I sit and scratch my head for days, wondering how in the hell I can stitch it all together.
The one constant in my process is music. I can't write without it. Some would say my preferences can be a bit odd. If you hear me listening to Elvis gospel, chances are I am plotting a death in one of my books. While other days, I find one song that can capture the essence of my main character, and that song will be played on a loop continously while I am in the mindset of that particular character.
The key to writing is to find what works best for you. You can read thousands of how to books and advice columns on the subject, but you never know what will be the thing to make everything fall into place with your writing.
Try different things. Maybe voice recording your thoughts will be the key to breaking through. For me, it's calling my best friend Morgan and chatting about our plots.
So go out into the world and put your pen to paper, voice to recorder, or fingers to keyboard. But however you do it have fun with it.
